


Never Meant to Get Us In This Deep

by untapdtreasure



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 15:30:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9768203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/untapdtreasure/pseuds/untapdtreasure
Summary: She leaned back, taking it all in. It hadn’t been lost on her how right it felt. (spoilers: Motherly Love)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Naughty & Nice Valentine’s Day ficathon at thebarsondaily.

Instantly, as Rafael walked away and out of the courtroom, she began to second guess her decision to decline his offer to go out for drinks. As she pulled on her coat, she dug for her scarf from her coat pocket to wrap it around her neck. She glanced in the direction he’d gone and hurried to catch up with him before he made it to the elevator. She’d thought about it only for a moment before making her decision. “Hey, Barba?”

He glanced over his shoulder, smiling when he realized it was her. He turned then to fully face her, forgetting all about the elevator button he’d just pressed. “Forget something?” He eyed her up and down, noting that she seemed to be as well put together as he expected her to be despite the court proceedings.

She smiled then, enjoying his eyes on her more than she wanted to admit. Her hand came up to throw one end of her scarf over her shoulder. “About that drink?”

His eyebrow lifted in expectation as she now had his full attention. “Change your mind?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. Well, yeah. I guess I did.” She glanced at her watch. “What if you come to my place instead? I got a decent bottle of scotch, and this way I can still be home with Noah.” She met his eyes, hoping she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt.

He frowned then his eyes lit up. He gave a quick nod. “Just give me time to run home and change. I’ll grab dinner on the way. Italian okay with you?” He seemed to recall a recent conversation that he’d overheard between Olivia and Rollins about their kid’s favorite meals, and he only hoped he remembered correctly that the boy was heavy into Alfredo and fettuccine.

She lifted her eyes, meeting his as she nodded. “Sounds perfect.” She reached out and touched his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “See you soon.”

\- -

Olivia had managed to take a quick shower before Lucy left and had somehow managed to blow dry her hair before tugging it up into a messy bun. She pulled on a faded pair of blue jeans and her NYPD sweatshirt.

The apartment was warm enough that she had decided against socks as she plopped herself down on Noah’s bright blue beanbag chair just as Lucy was waving goodbye. “See you on Friday, Lucy. Thanks again.”

“No problem, Liv.” Lucy zipped up her coat and pulled on her wool cap as she opened the door to find Barba with his hands full of food sacks. She smiled at the Manhattan A.D.A. and waved him on inside. “She’s just playing with Noah.”

He nodded and said goodbye to her as she pulled the door closed behind her. He managed to turn the deadbolt and secure the door before he moved into her line of sight. “I may have gone slightly overboard.” He held up the two paper sacks and smiled.

“Slightly?” she teased as she pulled Noah onto her lap.

The boy looked at the counselor and waved his small hand timidly at him. He liked it when his Mommy’s work friends came over. He was familiar with him, but not as much as he was familiar with Fin and Carisi.

Barba moved to sit the sacks on her counter before he moved back toward her coat rack to hang up his jacket and scarf. He glanced over his shoulder in Noah’s direction. “Hola, mi amigo. What are you and Mommy playing?”

Olivia smiled affectionately at him as he tried to better acquaint himself with her son. He had been so awkward the first time he’d held him, so it warmed her heart to see him trying so hard. “Cars and dinosaurs. Huh, Noah?”

After Rafael moved around the armchair, he seated himself on the rug close to them and the pile of toys. “My favorite…” He picked up the most outrageous looking car from the pile and started to roll it toward Noah’s little green jeep.

Noah scooted off Olivia’s lap and started driving his jeep alongside Barba’s neon orange futuristic car. He looked at him expectantly as he was all smiles. “Wanna race, Baba? Vroom! Vroom!”

Olivia chuckled softly as if before her very eyes there were two little boys playing on her rug and not her son and the every immaculate Manhattan A.D.A. She leaned back, taking it all in. It hadn’t been lost on her how right it felt. Nothing about it felt forced like it had whenever Tucker had played with Noah. She sighed softly as she tilted her head and just watched the two of them play.

It was only when she felt his eyes on her that she realized she’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed Noah’s attention move on to something else and that Barba had been talking to her. She blushed slightly as she looked down at her hands on her knees. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you needed help setting the table.” He moved closer to her, sitting on his rear end on the rug beside the bean bag chair. “Are you okay? You can talk to me, you know?”

She leaned forward then, smiling as she saw the concern in her friend’s eyes. She touched his knee gently and shrugged her shoulders. “Just got lost in thought for a moment. Nothing bad, I promise.”

He placed his hand gently over hers and gave it a squeeze. “Good.” It felt like the most natural thing in the world when she turned her hand in his and laced their fingers together. “Thanks for having me over, Liv.”

She leaned even closer. She was close enough now to feel his breath on her face. Her heart skipped a beat as she swallowed thickly. Her head tilted slightly as she pressed herself forward. Her lips brushed his, lingering for only a moment as she pulled away. “I’m glad you accepted my invitation.”

His eyes moved from her eyes down to her lips and back up again. He licked his lips before he leaned into her and kissed her again, letting his lips linger there for a moment longer than she’d allowed hers the first time. “Me too.”

She turned her head when she felt eyes on them and saw Noah watching them. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she reached to pull Noah into her lap once again. “Well, Noah, I think Mr. Barba brought Alfredo and noodles. Are you hungry?”

Rafael cleared his throat as he stood and offered his hand to help her stand up with Noah on her hip. “In light of recent events, I think he can call me Rafael.”

“Raf,” Noah giggled. “Mr. Raf Baba.” He wiggled out of Olivia’s arm once she had gotten to her feet. “Noodles. Hungry, Mr. Raf Baba.” He took Rafael’s hand and tugged him toward their kitchen.

She laughed as she felt Rafael tugging her behind them. Her body knocking into his when they stopped suddenly. She placed her free hand on Rafael’s hip. “Sorry.”

“I’m not,” he breathed, taking advantage of her closeness, and kissed her mouth chastely. “I’m not sorry for any of it.” Noah tugged at his arm once again, causing them to be pulled apart, leaving Olivia standing there to take in his words.

A calm moved through her; the kind of calm she hadn’t ever experienced since she’d started dating with a child in tow. One that just felt right, and one that she didn’t need to question. Not even if she had wanted to.

//the end


End file.
